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History

History

We really like the RocWiki description of our neighborhood—so much so that we've quoted much of it here:

"The Neighborhood of the Arts is Rochester's arts district.

It is home to a lot of interesting people, great architecture, and some nifty public art.

As recently as the 1990s, what was then called Atlantic-University was considered a 'bad neighborhood' marred by abandoned and decaying industrial buildings.

The area had an artistic history, however, thanks to the long-standing Memorial Art Gallery, a remnant of the University of Rochester's original Prince Street campus." (The former presence of UR is the source of University Avenue's name.)

"With the establishment of ARTwalk in 2000, the neighborhood began a meteoric rebirth and revitalization.

NOTA today is characterized by both art and the adaptive reuse of old spaces, as exemplified by the lofts, offices, restaurants, and small businesses of the famous Village Gate. Other salvaged treasures include the Anderson Arts Building, a former shoe factory, and the landmark Flat Iron Building, once inhabited by bats and cheap convenience stores.

In 2012 ARTWalk was extended to include additional public art and sidewalk improvements."

"Despite its boom, NOTA remains diverse and affordable, offering many housing options from the modest to the high-end. Your choices include lofts, single-family Victorians, mansions divided into luxury units, and modern apartment complexes. True to its history, the neighborhood also maintains some light industry, most notably Gleason Works."